The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites always use a .gov or .mil domain. Before sharing sensitive information online, make sure you’re on a .gov or .mil site by inspecting your browser’s address (or “location”) bar.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Small Multiples

Small multiples are a series of small visualizations that allow users to simply and quickly interpret changes across each visualization.

Small multiples are best used when representing simple visualizations that include a small number of dimensions. Because small multiples are used to compare differences across visualizations, the visualization type used and the data compared should be consistent across the entire series of visualizations.

Small multiples can be used with bar charts, histograms, line graphs, pie charts, and choropleth maps. Other visualization types are often too complex to be rendered at a small size, resulting in changes across visualizations becoming lost.

Example

Acceptable Example

Quarterly Population Rates by Regional Office

Why it’s Only Acceptable

Choosing the right data visualization depends on a number of factors, one
of which is intent. In this case, the intent of this visualization is to
visualize quarterly population rates by regional office. A stacked bar
chart excels at showing broader changes in data across several categories,
but when it comes to understanding granular changes in data, it requires
more time and energy for users to understand.

Preferred Example

Quarterly Population Rates for Atlanta

Quarterly Population Rates for Chicago

Quarterly Population Rates for Denver

Quarterly Population Rates for New York

Why it’s Preferred

In this preferred example, each category of data is represented as its own
horizontal bar chart. Although this approach takes up more space, it also
allows for easier comparisons of values across each data category.

Guidance

Recommendations

Recommended

It is recommended that the graphs be ordered in some logical manner, e.g. time.

If it makes sense for the type of chart used and if space allows, it is recommended to align the charts in a single row or column so that the viewer can make comparisons along a single baseline.

Not Recommended

It is not recommended to use any scale bars not mentioned in this guidance unless you are an expert cartographer.